Branding: Where to Start
Starting something new can be a scary, overwhelming process if you take it all in at once, and branding is no different. We always like to walk our clients through the process one step at a time, so here are our prompts to get the ball rolling on your branding adventure.
Gather up
Branding is the way your business communicates to the world as an entity. So you need EVERYONE who is a leader in your company to be a part of this process. We know this might mean you’ll have some reluctant participants (check out our tips to win over the less interested members of your team), but its critical everyone who’s in leadership is present when you define your brand. DO NOT delegate your brand to an assistant in your company. Otherwise, your vision for how you want the world to see your company (your BABY) will get muddled by their interpretation.
Who do you want to be?
Once your whole team is on board, you should have an open discussion about what kind of company you want to be. Not just the practical captain obvious answer-”one that makes money,” but what you guys want to be to the customer, to each other, and to future employees. Will you strive to be dependable and honest, classy, or do you want to be a vibrant trendsetter? Think through what kind of entity you want to strive to be (what are your core values?) and how you can best achieve that, both within your company and outwards to the world. These ideas and cire beliefs trickle from the top down, so its important all of the leaders in your company are on the same page when it comes to this. Get your core identity down to a concise statement that sums up all of your ideas.
Who’s your ideal customer?
Build out your ideal customer. Think about who you want to appeal to. Think about who this person is. Maybe even give them a name. What’s a day in their life like? What are their interests? What makes them tick? Get as specific as you want. Have fun with this part! Your team might even start brainstorming some marketing strategies to reach your ideal customer. What’s the best way to reach them?
What’ll make you proud?
As the leaders, you have a more significant stake in this business, so when you think about its future, what do you think would be cool for you guys to be? What image would make your leadership proud and excited to point at and say “I helped make that.” Do you want to be the rocker rebels of your market, or would they love to be a posh hub of sophistication? Collectively, what’s your outward personality that you think is cool?
Now you're prepared to Brand!
Once your whole team is on board with clear, concise answers to each of the three questions above, you’ve got a basic outline to step forward on your branding journey. Keep these summaries in mind as you build your messaging, images, and design. Voila! That’s the first steps to branding.
If you still feel lost, feel free to call Robyn & Robyn for help!
Robyn & Robyn is a Top California Ranking Branding and Design Agency on DesignRush.
